French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office says that automaker Renault will maintain part of the production of the next generation of the popular Clio.

Renault to make part of Clio in France

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office says that automaker Renault will maintain part of the production of the next generation of the popular Clio in France but will develop the electric car there.

The announcement comes after wrangling over the site for building the Clio 4 after Renault said it was studying the possibility of dividing production between plants in France and Turkey. The French state has a 15 per cent stake in the automaker.

Sarkozy summoned Renault President Carlos Ghosn for a meeting on Saturday. A statement from Sarkozy's office said that Renault will continue producing Clio 3 cars at its Flins site outside Paris and "part of the production of the Clio 4."